Attorney
General Gansler Receives Final Report from Task Force on Electronic
Weapons

BALTIMORE,
MD ( December 17, 2009) - Members of the Attorney
General’s Task Force on Electronic Weapons today presented
to Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler their final report.
The final report is the culmination of public hearings, numerous
meetings and many hours sorting through testimony, and scientific
data and research. The report includes 60 recommendations and
seven proposed legislative agenda items.

Created by Attorney General Gansler in October 2008, the Task
Force on Electronic Weapons was chaired by Michael Higginbotham
and vice-chaired by Byron Warnken, professors of law at the University
of Baltimore School of Law. The Task Force was given a broad charge:
to examine best practices for the use of electronic control weapons
within the State of Maryland. Members of the Task Force compiled
the report to document the information gathered over the last year
and to make recommendations to Maryland elected officials and law
enforcement personnel.

“Public confidence in the justice system cannot be maintained
without making certain that safety and fairness are pillars of
the system,” said Attorney General Gansler. “In order
to preserve safety, law enforcement personnel must have effective
tools to do their jobs. In order to preserve fairness, those tools
must not be used in an arbitrary or unreasonable way. It is my
hope that the recommendations offered in the report will be carefully
considered by the members of the General Assembly, and State and
local law enforcement.”

Over 14,200 law enforcement agencies in over 40 countries deploy
electronic control weapons (ECWs). A survey by the Task Force of
Maryland law enforcement agencies found that the use of ECWs is
similarly widespread in Maryland. Of the 32 agencies that responded
to the survey, 24 use ECWs. Clearly, the use of ECWs is growing
and to address the many other issues concerning ECW use, the report
also includes recommendations on:

implementing an ECW program;

training;

use-of-force;

medical care;

reporting and investigation of ECW incidents;
and,

monitoring and data collection.

“There are some who think that electronic weapons are more
dangerous than they actually are,” said Professor Michael
Higginbotham, Chair of the Task Force. “There are others
who think that electronic weapons are less dangerous than they
actually are. The report from the Task Force adds a dose of reality
to the many misperceptions that exist surrounding the use of electronic
weapons. I encourage all interested persons to carefully read and
consider the report for I believe that broad adoption of the full
recommendations of this Task Force will save lives, reduce injuries,
and improve community-police relations.”

“The Report from the Task Force is an incredible accomplishment,” said
Professor Byron L. Warnken, Vice-Chair of the Task Force. “Imagine
having 15 participants in an intensive one year study on any issue
and then having all 15 members reach unanimous conclusion. It is
incredible and a tribute to this hard-working group that we reached
a unanimous 15-person consensus among the law enforcement community,
the medical community, the attorney community, the academic community,
the NAACP, and the ACLU. We can all be proud of this effort, both
in the abstract and in compromising.”